Rachel Roberts

Canada
has many parallels with Australia, not least of which is the
Canadian way of life.

Sure, they may not have killer surf beaches, but their snowfields
more than make up for this, and their easy-going attitude
reflects a similar lifestyle to the way we enjoy ourselves.

And while Canada is often the butt of many an ill-advised
American joke, it's also home to number of prolific performers,
such as jazz diva Diana Krall, actor Hayden Christensen and
singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado.

Of course, Canada is also home to a number of astoundingly
beautiful models too, such as Natasha Henstridge, the always
alluring Linda Evangelista and millionaire model Yasmeen Ghauri.

And talking of Canada's most famous exports, you can now
add another to that list: Rachel Roberts.

Early in her life, Rachel was a keen model, and her natural
beauty helped her rise to the top of the Canadian fashion
industry in record time as a youngster. Born in Vancouver,
British Colombia, Rachel started attracting big-name attention
in the late 1990s.

Her first move into the glamorous -yet tough- world of fashion,
was in '98 at the age of just 19, when magazines like Glamour,
Elle and Vogue were courting her to appear on the cover of
their publications wearing the latest designer ensembles.

As her face became more recognisable, her star was on the
rise and after being called up to shoot for the Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue of 2000, it was obvious that Rachel had the
wherewithal to prosper in the sometimes catty industry.

Following
a good selection of magazine work, Rachel then signed a contract
with the skin-care group Biotherm.

Acting as the company's official spokesmodel - like Love-Hewitt
is to Neutrogena - her exposure in the mainstream continued
to grow, and she later completed ad campaigns for the likes
of the Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren and America's favourite
lingerie line, Victoria's Secret.

Rachel moved to New York, New York when things started to
get a wriggle on: She went to where she could most effectively
ply her trade, if you will. But little did she expect to land
a role in the cyber-drama sleeper hit, simply called Simone.

Rachel played the character of Simone, and quite plausibly
too, though when you consider that she plays a computer-generated
constuct, it's not exactly like she's up against stiff competition
(Jar Jar Binks anyone?).

Also starring Al Pacino, the movie starts off with a lead
actress walking off the set in a huff, with the poor old director
left wondering what to do. Well, he creates a virtual actress
with some powerful 3D software, and she goes on to conquer
the world with a string of hit movies, the new Julia Roberts
if you like.

But the public knows nothing about Simone's binary background,
and it brings up some intriguing questions. For a full review
of the movie, see our Entertainment
Channel.

Playing a digital godess wasn't hard for Rachel, and her
turn as an actress is impressive and perhaps we'll see more
of her on the big screen in more demanding roles, rather than
on the catwalk.